Banks City F.C.
:"Banks City" redirects here. For the city nicknamed the Banks City, see Stanhope. Banks City Football Club (also known as The Harriers or simply City) is a professional football club based in Stanhope, St. Gregory. The team plays in League B of the St. Gregory Football Association. City were a founding member of League C in 1990. The club's name comes from the nickname of their home city, for being situated on the banks of the Rouge River. Although the club have never won League A, they finished as runners-up in 1999-2000 and have won the SGFA Cup twice, in 1995-96 and 2011-12. They have appeared in the SGFA Shield match three times, but lost all three. The team play their home matches at the 25,500-seat Harrier Stadium. History In 1989, the SGFA announced plans to expand to three professional leagues the following year, and that they would receive bids from various amateur and start-up clubs to be the foundation of the new League C, accepting six of them. A consortium called Banks City P.C. Football was established to be one of these bids. The name came from Banks City Presbyterian Church, who headed the consortium and who had previously operated amateur club teams at youth and senior level. On December 8, 1989, the SGFA announced that Banks City was one of the successful bids. The club officially registered the name Banks City Football Club in January 1990, becoming the first professional sports team in the city of Stanhope. City began play in League C in the 1990-91 season and enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks over the next five years, earning promotion to League B in 1992 and then to League A following the 1994-95 season. The following year they won the SGFA Cup, the club's first trophy, defeating League A champions FC Chapman in the final. The team enjoyed their best season in League A in 1999-2000 when they were top of the table for much of the season, only to go on a winless streak near the end of the season and lose the title to Bonneville United by 4 points. City suffered their first ever relegation from any competition at the end of the 2013-14 season when they finished 15th in League A, one point behind Winston Beach as both teams won their final match of the season. Colors, crest and nickname The team is known to fans simply as City and officially nicknamed the Harriers, as a harrier bird is featured on the club crest. The crest also features images representing the Rouge River, as well as the star of Bethlehem, reflecting the club's Christian foundation. 'Kits' The home kit has traditionally featured white and silver vertical stripes with cobalt blue shorts and trim; however, as of the 2014-15 season, silver has become a trim color and the shorts have switched to white. Cobalt serves as the base for the away kit. Banks City's uniforms are currently supplied by adidas. The shirt sponsor is Mercy Hospital Stanhope, who took over after Heineken withdrew their sponsorship following a 15-year run as shirt sponsor and 10 years as naming rights sponsor for the club's stadium. Support Rivalries City contest the River Rivalry with Little Rouge, based just 25 miles away in Macon. The club also has a close rival in Otway Town. During City's run of successful finishes in the late 1990s and early 2000s, they developed a rivalry with Bonneville United, which reached boiling point when United pipped City for the League A title in 1999-2000. Mark Chandler, who played for both clubs, said of City fans' views on United: "Nobody likes United, but for City fans it's something else ... it's cultural, it's nationalistic, it's the fact that they win a lot, it's everything the club stands for ... they just don't like 'em." Players 'Current squad' : As of October 4, 2014 Former players :Further information: Category:Banks City F.C. players Honors * League C: 1 :1991-92 * SGFA Cup: 2 :1995-96, 2011-12 Category:Banks City F.C. Category:Club pages